Social identities are a political minefield in electoral politics, especially for individuals who do not share the white, male profile of the traditional politician in Western countries. Women politicians in particular have to navigate gender stereotypes that depict them as the ideal political helpmate rather than ideal political leader, raising questions about their suitability for elected office. For example, news coverage of their candidacies tends to highlight their gender identity, family lives, and physical appearance and downplay their qualifications and policy ideas. But gender stereotypes are not the only concern. Women politicians also confront stereotypes related to their Indigeneity, race/ethnicity, sexuality, religion, and/or immigration status. To navigate these complex expectations, political communication research reveals that women politicians carefully address social identity in their political speech in such a way to craft an authentic but also acceptable public persona to voters. What is less clear are the motivations behind these choices, and why some women choose to highlight their various social identities and why others opt to downplay them. Moreover, research tends to focus on women holding or seeking executive offices such as government leader or party leader, which means less is known about how rank-and-file candidates navigate stereotypes in their communications. These gaps raise the question: How do different types of women candidates talk about their social identities during an election campaign, and what are the motivations behind these choices? To answer this question, we draw upon 25 interviews with women who ran in the 2021 Canadian federal election. We asked them how they choose to address their social identities in social media posts, news media interviews, and one-to-one conversations with voters. The results will advance our understanding of how increasingly diverse women politicians adapt to a changing political environment where (some) social identities are not always well received.
